See What Makes this AZVA Martial Artist a True Champ!

Imagine this: One day, you wake up covered in unexplained rashes. On top of that, you begin to have fevers and joint pain so bad you can’t even lift your leg high enough to step into the shower. You feel the pain deep in your bones, but your doctors cannot figure out what exactly is happening to you. This is exactly what happened to Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA) student, Abulhasan Mohsin in the 9th grade. Finally a diagnosis was made. Abulhasan had Systemic Onset Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. In short, his immune system was attacking his entire body.

In spite of this debilitating condition, Abulhasan has been able to easily keep up with his classwork thanks to AZVA. Abulhasan began at AZVA in the 6th grade after his family moved to Arizona from Pakistan. Maryum Mohsin, his mother, felt that the online school would be the best fit for him to prevent her son from being bullied.

What’s more, the flexibility of online school has allowed Abulhasan to pursue his passion for martial arts. He has been practicing the sport for four years with MX Martial Arts Academy, winning titles such as Arizona State Underbelt Champion two years in a row. He competed at the Compete International Martial Arts competition in February, where he won the title of Underbelt Grand Champion, and at the Diamond Nationals in October, where he took home two first trophies in Extreme Weapons and Musical Weapons. He also began to help teaching classes at his martial arts academy.

The self-discipline that Abulhasan developed through personalized learning and by being a student at AZVA helped him on his road to recovery. He began to take medication, do physical and aquatic therapy, and adhere to a strict diet. It took some time, but Abulhasan is now able to manage his joint pain and has minor symptoms compared to those he had before.

Abulhasan says he has been tremendously supported by his AZVA teachers throughout his challenging journey, and that has made all the difference in his incredible recovery. Next year, he plans to take courses at East Valley Institute of Technology and AZVA all while continuing with karate. If you want to see him compete at competitions, check out the videos with ‘Hasan’ on the MX Martial Arts Academy Facebook page.